The Door with the Wreath Out Front
by Cayology
Summary: He has been gone for too long. Now everything is different. Different cars, children, and decorations in the lobby. But is Cammie different?


Walking down the snow covered street, I felt as if I was strolling into my past. The street was exactly the same as I remembered it, yet there were some small differences. Different cars parked along the sidewalk, different children making snow mans in their yards.

I had been gone too long. The simple mission I had left for ended up with me captured for two long years.

Two years had gone by since I had last seen her. We had only been together for a short time, yet I knew she was the one for me. She still is the only one for me. The thought of her was what kept me sane in my time away. I longed for the day that I would come back and hold he to me once again.

But what if she had moved on, settled down with someone else? I shuttered at the thought of her in another mans arms. She had the right to move on, and I had to deal with the possibility that she was no longer my Gallagher Girl.

I entered the apartment building that she had lived in the last four years and made my way through the festive lobby. The lobby was a mess of tinsel and mistletoe. A Christmas tree sagging under the weight of the ornaments sat near the elevators and I mentally slapped myself. How had I forgotten that it was Christmas Eve? Was this not the right time for me to do this I thought as I pressed the third floor button on the elevator. I shook my head knowing it was now or never, and never wasn't an option.

The elevator ride seemed to last forever and I half expected to exit the elevator and find Halloween decorations. Finally I reached the third floor. I stepped out from the elevator hesitantly. I was afraid, a feeling I hadn't even felt as I was imprisoned and tortured. The fear inside me told me to go run and hide, but I shoved it to the side. A pull in my gut seemed to guide me down the long plain hallway. Unlike the Lobby, the hallway was devoid of Christmas decorations except for a large wreath hanging on the door of the apartment at the far end of the hall. This was the same apartment where Cammie and I had spent most of our free time before my mission. The place where we had kissed, and slept, and whispered 'I love you' to each other.

I reached for the door knob but instead I found myself pressing my highly trained ear against the thin wooded door and listened to those inside. I couldn't make out words, but I could detect familiar voices, and the tones of our best friends. And I could hear her, her soft laugh as she listened to Bex tell a story I couldn't distinguish.

They sounded appyHa happy.

She sounded happy.

I lifted my slightly shaking hand and knocked three times on the door. From inside I heard Cammie yell that the door was open. For a moment I was upset that Cammie would be so casual about security, but I pushed the thought from my mind. The Circle was collapsed,there were no threats any more, But Cammie didn't know that. I slowly turned the knob and opened the door. No one noticed me. The cozy apartment was warm and smelled strongly of turkey and gravy. Liz and Jonas were curled up next to each other up next to each other, their backs facing me. Macey sat at the kitchen table reading a recipe book, while Bex concentrating all her energy on cutting the celery into even pieces.

Cammie was facing away from him checking on the turkey when she said to him. "It took you long enough to get here Grant, you are right in time for Din-" She came to an abrupt halt when she saw me. How was it that she was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her hair was slightly longer and pulled back into a messy pony tail. Their was a rosy tint to her cheeks from working in the oven, and her body looked as perfect as ever. However; he saw a weariness behind her eyes, a weariness that came from growing up and seeing the evil of the world. Something that spies face early in their lives. The two of us stared at each other. No one else noticed my appearance since they were too wrapped up in what ever they were doing. Cammie's body was rigid and for a moment I thought she was paralyzed in shock until she whispered one word that sent shivers down my spine. A word I had longed to hear her say again.

"Zach." All movement and sound seized in the apartment as everyone turned to stare at me in shock. There seemed to be an electrical current in the air, and everyone was afraid that if they moved they would be shocked.

The sound of pounding feet and heavy breathing made its way down the hallway. The sound pulled us from our dazed states as we turned to see Grant. He paused directly outside the door not noticing me, and panted completely out of breath. I almost laughed thinking of Grant running to make it on time, seeing as he had never been much of a runner.

"Sorry guys, I hope you didn't start without out me." He said cheerfully straightening up. He looked over at me, then away, then back realizing who the surprise guest was. Instantly I saw his eyes fill with childish delight. "ZACH!" He exclaimed throwing his meaty arms around me. I hugged him back tightly with what I guessed was a crazy smile on my face. I was finally back.

"Hey! How have you been man?" I asked slapping Grant on the back.

"What can I say, I'm living the dream." He responded winking at Bex, who responded by flipping him the bird. With that almost everyone was awoken from their stunned states. My best friends hurried toward me smiling. Liz was the first to reach me.

"Zach!" she yelled throwing her tiny arms around me.

"Hey Lizzie." I hugged her back so hard I lifted her off the ground. "You need to eat, you weigh less than a tooth pick." She laughed before letting go of me and moving off to the side so everyone else could come hug me.

"You need to give us more warning before you show up! I would have worn my nice shirt." Jonas joked before holding out his hand to me. He had matured a lot over the years and was n o longer the skinny, nervous twerp I remembered. I smirked then shoved aside his hand away and hugged him instead. Next came Macey, who I had never been extremely close to. She came up to me, looked me up and down, before smiling and saying.

"Welcome back Goode." I wrapped her in a tight hug.

"It's Goode to be back." I responded smirking at my freakishly lame pun.

Last was Bex. She smiled as she came toward me, her face was softer than I remembered. Out of everyone, Bex and I had been the closet because of our longing to keep Cammie safe. Bex wrapped her arms around me and whispered in my ear.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too. All of you." I said letting go of her and looking at the faces of the people I had missed most. However one was missing. I looked over and noticed Cammie, still standing like a statue, gazing at me.

"I can't believe your back man." Said Grant slapping me on the back. Hard.

"WE thought..." Liz started then trailed off seeming to regret speaking up. "We thought you were-"

"Dead." Everyone turned toward the only one yet to speak. "We thought you were dead Zach." She said. "Two years. You were MIA for two years."

"I wasn't supposed to be, but my mom found me." I admitted, trying not to think about what had happened to me. 'But it's all over. The Circle of Cavan is finished. You're safe Cammie."

"But... Your Mom?" Stuttered Cammie.

"Is dead. I killed her." I said harsher than I meant to, as I saw Cammie recoil from my words as if she had been slapped.

"You killed her?" She asked, her face a mask.

"I did it for you, Cammie." I said looking her square in the eyes. "The whole time they had me, it was the thought of you that kept me alive. And when I aimed the gun at _her_ heart." I closed my eyes as if to try and wipe the memory from my mind. "I thought of you. I thought about the fact that with her gone, you could finally be safe, and we could be together." As I finished I continued my stare off with Cammie. The room had gone silent, our friends holding their breaths to see how this would end.

I didn't care about the betting taking place between our friends, or the burning turkey, my focus was fully on Cammie. She stood there, stock still. Even though her face was a mask, her eyes however were full of love, confusion, anger, and passion.

Before I could react, Cammie was running toward me. She leapt at me wrapping her arms around my neck, and her lean legs around my waist. Without a second thought she smashed her lips to mine and kissed me like there was no tomorrow. We melted into the kiss, seeing as we had been waiting for it for two years. After too little time I pulled away (oxygen is sadly necessary) and put my forehead to hers.

"I missed you." She whispered to me. I flashed her my signature smirk.

"I missed you too Gallagher Girl."

It's good to be home.


End file.
